Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Tale as Old as Time (1): Small Paperbacks

Hey guys! I'm really excited to start this new series. Like many book lovers, I love collecting books. Over the past three years or so, I have been picking up quite a few old books from second hand shops, garage sales, and used book stores. I love looking at these old and beautiful books so I thought I would start a series where I showcase some of them. I have quite a few books I want to show off, so look for these posts every-so-often! I would love to hear about your favorite old books you own (or see them on your blog) so tell me about them below or link me to a post where you discuss them!

Side note: I's still experimenting with the layout of these posts and the pictures, so bare with me, and leave me any suggestions you might have.


The Pelican Shakespeare


First up, we have two small Pelican Shakespeare editions. I do love old leather bound books, but lately old and small paper backs have found a special place in my heart, and I love how they look together on the shelf. 

Antony and Cleopatra is from 1974 and The Tempest is from 1968 . Both of them are published by Pelican which is an imprint of Penguin Books. The Tempest is marked at 65 cents and Antony and Cleopatra at $1.25. I would love to pick up more of these editions! I have not read either of these plays yet, but I do hope to read them some day soon. 


Next is this little Dell edition of some Dickinson poems. This one was published in 1966 and originally cost  35 cents! How cute is this little book? It contains 173 poems and an introduction. One thing I love about these paperbacks is that they are still readable. Sometimes older leather bound books are more fragile (and quite frankly they usually smell and give me horrible allergies) and so they are impractical to actually read. But I have dipped in and out of this little collection many times.

The Shakespeare books and Dickinson came from a local huge used bookstore that charges one dollar for paperbacks and two dollars for hardcovers. They allow you to trade in books for store credit, and their gigantic store is packed floor-to-ceiling with books. I love spending an hour or two in there just looking at all the books. You never know what you are going to find, and they always seem to have a great selection of old classics. 


Lastly, we have this Airmont edition of Daisy Miller and Other Stories by Henry James from 1969 that originally cost 95 cents. I have read Daisy Miller and really enjoyed it, so I was really excited to see this one at my local second hand shop for a quarter. 

What are some of your favorite old books you own? Any suggestions to make these posts better? Let me know! 

4 comments:

  1. I love the pelican shakesphere editions. I want to collect all the editions of To kill a mocking bird LOL I have a few copies so far.

    Megan @ http://readingawaythedays.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes there are some gorgeous editions of TKAMB! I love the anniversary hardcover edition! I may splurge on it someday soon!
      Thanks for stopping by Megan!

      Delete
  2. You have some fab editions. I love collecting books too and when I come across a rare edition of a book I love, it makes me happy. I have a treasured copy of Little Women from when I was younger (published in the 1980s) and I'd be devastated if anything happened it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I know how you feel! I have some books that were my mom's when she was a child and they would be the first thing I grabbed in the event of a fire! I would love to see pictures of some of your favorites!
      Thanks for stopping by Trish!

      Delete